So, here we are! The seventh chapter of this fic, too! Rejoice with me! *throws confetti in your face*
On my last update I reached over fifty reviews! I'm half way to my ultimate goal of one hundred reviews, so all the readers who only look at a fic because of its review count will come rolling in! (Actually, I'm usually guilty of this crime, as well… Don't hate me! T.T)
Disclaimer: If I were a published author, I wouldn't be wasting my time on this site. I'd have a life, too, but that's not the point.
Upon seeing her beloved fox youkai once more, Kagome decided that salvaging what little remained of her respectable reputation could wait.
"How did you find me?" she whispered, smiling so hard that she thought she would burst.
Shippo winked, tapping the side of his nose. "I have my ways."
"How is everyone? Are they happy? Did…" Kagome trailed off at his pitying expression. "Oh, I suppose they're all… Oh."
"Well, not everyone," Shippo interjected hurriedly. "There's still Sesshoumaru, and Kirara, and Kouga, as well as Ayame. They have a bunch of kids, too."
Kagome brightened instantly. "Really? That's great! What're their names?"
Shippo rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure. There's a lot of 'em."
Kagome giggled. "Well, tell them I said hello."
"I was hoping that you could do it yourself," Shippo mumbled hopefully, widening his green eyes in a way that had always earned him an extra lollipop when he was younger. He was startled when Kagome firmly shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but no. Kaa-san and Souta depend on me now, ever since gramps died, and we're saving up to send Souta to a private high school. I have to get back home within the week."
"It wouldn't take that long, and-"
"Since when has anything involving me taken only as much time as needed?" Kagome snapped.
"You don't need to be so aggressive!" Shippo said defensively. "You're acting like Inuyasha."
Kagome flinched at the comment. "I'm sorry, Shippo-chan, it's just… I want to go with you, but I can't."
Shippo waved off her apology with a typical grin. "S'fine. But, really, Kagome, there's something I need you to do."
"Sure."
Shippo couldn't help but smile. It was a foregone conclusion that she wouldn't even ask what she needed to do before agreeing. Kagome was like that.
"I need you to become the guardian of the Shikon no Tama."
Kagome's face paled. "What?"
"The Sacred Jewel, remember? The thing you spent about two years hunting and reassembling after you broke it? The immensely powerful—"
Kagome slapped her hand over his mouth, shooting a look at her far too curious (read: nosy) trio of friends. "No need to shout about it!"
Shippo made exaggerated gasping noises until she snatched back her hand. "Are you okay?"
"Never better. Anyway, about the jewel…"
Kagome's eyes widened confusedly. "I don't understand. Didn't Kikyou wish for Inuyasha to become human?"
"Hai, she did," Shippo confirmed.
"Then why didn't it disappear?"
"It wasn't a pure wish," Shippo said gravely. "To wish away something's very nature for the sake of obtaining what you want is selfish, not pure. Youkai aren't evil."
"Of course not!" Kagome exclaimed. "So… wishing away someone's youkai blood is the same as wishing away human blood?"
"Exactly."
Kagome's face twisted into an expression of guilt. "I should have realized…"
Shippo shook his head emphatically. "Don't blame this on yourself, Kagome! Kikyou had training and experience; if anything, she's the one who fucked up, not you."
"Shippo! Language!" Kagome reprimanded, poking him in the chest.
"Gomen nasai, kaa-san," Shippo teased.
Kagome scowled up at him. "Shut up."
Shippo smirked at her. "Anyway, I'll tell Sesshoumaru to bring it to your place in a week or so. You still live by the well, right?"
"Yes, and—wait, if you knew where I was, why haven't you contacted me before?"
Shippo's expression turned bleak. "We thought that you were dead, Kagome."
))0((
"Ne, Kagome, what was that about?" Yuka demanded.
"What was all that crap about your ex?" Eri inquired, having heard Inu-what's-his-name mentioned several times.
"I am so not buying you something from the gift shop," Ayumi groused.
Kagome stared at the sidewalk far below, deigning her friends' disgruntled comments unworthy of answering. Her fox demon friend had acted just as cheery as always when saying good bye, but she could tell that it wasn't genuine. She felt extremely guilty, because she knew that he had missed her and she knew it was her fault because—
"Hey, Kagome! I finally found ya!"
The miko went rigid. She oh-so-slowly turned to face the person that had called out to her. "J-Jones-san!"
Alfred grinned down at her. "Nice to see you again, too."
Kagome's mind raced. How did he get up here without me sensing him? Dammit, I really am getting rusty. "Oh! I'm sorry to be so rude," she said nervously, fighting the urge to bow apologetically. Americans tended to get uncomfortable when she did that. Of course, she tended to get comfortable around most Americans (especially him), but everyone generally accepted that most Western countries had really bad manners. No one was going to piss off a world power, no matter how boorish its citizens were.
"Nah, you weren't being rude," he said with another one of those huge smiles. Kagome tentatively smiled back, only to have it wiped off her face when he grabbed her hand and started dragging her in the direction of the elevator.
"Oi!" she yelped. "I never agreed to go anywhere with you, Jones-san!"
America pouted, willing his eyes to go all wide and shimmery. "But I found this really really really good Chinese place and I wanted to take you there!"
Kagome bit her lip, feeling her inner defenses crumbling with every second he had that pathetic look on his face.
America was resisting the urge to lick his lips. Okay, that whole lip-biting thing was actually very sexy and he suddenly wanted to kiss her, but he guessed she wouldn't be too thrilled if he randomly started making out with her in front of everyone. But how would one little kiss hurt anything? Y'know, besides his self-control, which, incidentally, was the only thing standing between him and her lips.
"Fine," Kagome sighed. She peeked up at Alfred, only to see him staring at nothing in particular with an odd expression on his face. "Jones-san? Are you okay?" She stepped towards him out of concern.
America was abruptly jerked out of a daydream that involved much, much more of Kagome than just her lips, and Jesuschrist when the hell had she gotten so close? "Yeah, I'm fine…"
Kagome looked at him skeptically. "You sure?"
"Yup!" he exclaimed, and resumed dragging her to the elevator.
))0((
Kagome drummed her fingers against the table top, watching in half-repulsed, half-fascinated awe as her companion slurped down his entire meal and most of her own. The miko found it hard to keep her appetite when her companion (she refused to think of it as a date) ate large quantities in what must be record time while chewing with his mouth open.
"You're so disgusting, aru," someone sniffed disdainfully.
Alfred reacted as if he'd been shocked. He leaped to his feet and whirled to face the person who had spoken. "What the hell are you doing here, you commie bastard!"
Kagome turned to face the man that had upset her da—her companion enough to make him stop eating.
She could already tell it was a very, very difficult thing to do.
The person she saw was a man around her height with a low ponytail and a handsome face. His eyes were screwed shut and he was holding his sleeve to his nose, as if he was surrounded by an offending odor.
Kagome frowned, puzzled. His aura was like Kiku's and Alfred's. Just what the hell were these people, anyway?
Her face paled. Oh shit, Kiku! He's gonna think I've blown him off!
China paid no attention to the woman who America had been sitting with. He was probably doing her a favor, anyway; Americans were just as perverse as Frenchmen, but less polite about it.
"I'm here because I want my money, aru! If you can gorge yourself on this so-called Chinese food, then you can pay me back!"
Quite frankly, Yao was disgusted that his food was being mass-produced and shoveled into the faces of morbidly obese Americans from dingy, cramped little restaurants such as the one he was currently standing in. The country ignored the staff, who were throwing him offended looks from behind the dirty white-tiled counter.
America faltered under China's glare. He suddenly found his coat collar to be very interesting. "Ah, yeah, that! I'll get it to ya in a little bit. Sound good?"
"No, it does not sound good," China hissed. "And I swear, I'll—"
"Oi, Jones-san!" China blinked confusedly until his eyes landed on the girl who had been on a date with the idiot in front of him. He knew she wasn't one of his citizens; they'd never be so stupid.
America jumped, as if he'd totally forgotten about her. China rolled his eyes. Typical.
"Yeah, whatcha want?"
The girl's unusual blue eyes flashed, before she seemed to realize something and deflated. "I, um, kinda forgot that I had an appointment with Kiku-kun when I agreed to come here. Could you take me back to the hotel?"
"You have a date with Jap—I mean Kiku and went out with me?"America shouted, torn between 'bros before hoes' and being insulted that she wanted to cut her date with him short. His ego won out. "And you want me to take you back so you can meet him!"
China's eyebrows rose. This girl had a date with Japan?
Her eyes flicked over to China and back again. "I thought that you wanted to leave quickly, Jones-san, and it's not a date."
"When did I say that?" America said loudly.
She nodded in Yao's general direction. "Well, you seemed a little aggravated."
America stared at her. "What's 'aggravated' mean?"
The girl threw her hands in the air. "Just take me home, Jones-san! Please," she added as an afterthought.
"Of course, I could always arrange for you to be picked up while Mr. Jones and I discuss our financial matters," China offered.
Alfred started. "Um, no, I'd love to take you home, Kagome! Let's go!" He grabbed Kagome's hand and fled to the door. "He'll pay!" he shouted, pointing at a livid Yao, and escaped into the streets of Chinatown.